Internships have a lot going for them—they're great experience, there's crucial early-career networking and, in a worst-case scenario, they can help you figure out if you've made a poor choice of career.

Of course, doing gruntwork and not getting paid can take a little bit of the shine off, but these aren't actually the worst parts of an unpaid internship—and neither may be the fact that many internships are likely illegal. It's something that people have been writing abouta lot in this economy: There seem to be fewer jobs and more unpaid internships and that gives advantages to employers and to intern candidates who can afford to go without pay for a bit. And there's plenty of advice out there saying not todo it to counter what advantages there may be.